PDF of this tutorialThe requirements of a customer care system are ultimately determined by consumers, and all of us are consumers in one way or another. We associate the following characteristics with good customer service:
- The customer service representative is friendly.
- The customer service representative knows about previous contact sessions and is able to continue a session from where it was left off.
- The customer service representative is capable of completely servicing the call.
- The customer service representative provides immediate change in the service for most service requests.
- The customer service representative is experienced, and calls are completed in a timely manner.
- The customer service representative provides accurate commitments.
- The customer service representative provides accurate information.
- The customer service representative does not transfer calls to others.
- The customer service representative does not put the call on hold for long periods of time.
Many of the above characteristics seem to be CSR–dependent and to require extensive experience. However, with a good customer care system, these characteristics manifest externally to the customer even from relatively inexperienced CSRs. The only capability that cannot be implemented in a customer care system is the first characteristic—friendly customer service representatives. As a result, an effective customer care system requires that service providers select CSRs more for their interpersonal skills than for their technical skills.
